Vane assemblies are usually provided in gas turbine engines downstream of a fan and/or may be part of a low pressure compressor. Vane assemblies may be used to re-direct an air stream such as, for example, reducing a swirl movement of an air stream in a compressor of a gas turbine engine.
Vane assemblies may comprise radially inner and/or outer shrouds or supports to which vanes are secured. The vanes may be secured to inner and/or outer shrouds via resilient grommets that provide both a seal between the vanes and the shroud(s) and damping of vibrations. Grommets usually need to be molded to fit the exact shape of the vanes either before or during installation. Also, in order to maintain an adequate sealing function, such grommets usually require a radial pre-load of the vanes to be maintained. Accordingly, the use of such grommets can render the installation and assembly of such vane assemblies relatively complex and labor intensive.
Improvement in vane assemblies is therefore desirable.